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Sheriff Wayne Ivey of the Brevard County Sheriff's Office gives tips on how to survive an active shooter situation. He uses the 4 As: awareness, avoidance, arm and attack. Video provided by Brevard County Sheriff's Office.

Following the shooting massacre at a country music festival in Las Vegas last weekend, there's a renewed focus on security at theme parks and hotels in Central Florida, one of the world's most popular tourism destinations.

If Las Vegas is known as a global playground for adults, then Orlando and Central Florida, with Walt Disney World and other theme park attractions — not to mention tens of thousands of rooms in towering hotels and resorts — could fairly be labeled as a playground for families.

So how safe are those venues? And will security increase even further, as violence seems to be focused on areas like concerts and other outdoor events that attract tens of thousands of people?

Yes, says Dennis Speigel, head of the Ohio-based International Theme Park Services Inc., a theme park consultancy. And the public will be thankful, he said.

Speigel mentioned a study his company did 18 months ago for a major theme park — whose identity he wouldn't disclose — on how visitors would react to a more prominent security presence.

"The average Joe coming to the park wants to have a good time and be safe."

"Ninety-nine percent felt more comfortable," Speigel said. "The average Joe coming to the park wants to have a good time and be safe, and he wants his family to be safe. If it takes a little extra screening and wanding, or some other security measures, he doesn't care because of the carnage we have experienced."

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Neighbors at Heritage Isle in Viera recall Stephen Paddock, the Las Vegas shooter. Paddock owned the home in 2013-15. More than 50 were killed in the Las Vegas mass shooting. Video posted Oct. 2, 2017, by Malcolm Denemark, FLORIDA TODAY.

Metal detectors

In late 2015, Disney World started placing walk-through metal detectors in front of all four of its theme parks. Universal Orlando began using wand-style metal detectors in an area leading into its parks and nightlife district. And SeaWorld Orlando also began using wand-style detectors.

Speigel expects hotels and resorts to place greater emphasis on spotting suspicious behavior and alerting authorities.

If additional security and upgrades at Central Florida tourism venues mean higher ticket prices and hotel rates, it's likely something the public would embrace it, said Rick Munarriz, a senior analyst with the Motley Fool, a financial services company.

Munarriz doesn't see any meaningful impact on theme park stock prices because of the Las Vegas massacre, but there could be added expense to operations that customers mostly likely will foot.

"We've been blessed and never had a theme park attack and, hopefully, that never happens," Munarriz said. However, "if upgrades are occurring, they'll pass the costs down, and I think people will understand and pay more as just the price of security."

Representatives of Disney, SeaWorld and Universal did not respond to FLORIDA TODAY requests for comment about security issues.

9/11 was 'wake-up call'

In the immediate aftermath of 9/11, hotels in high-volume tourist areas deemed to be possible terrorist targets such as Las Vegas beefed up low-tech security measures such as daily room checks if a guest posted a “do not disturb” sign for a significant amount of time and didn't respond to knocks or phone calls. Some properties also employed explosive-sniffing dogs, and occasionally would stop and check incoming vehicles.

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Brevard County Sheriff Wayne Ivey said he 9/11 terrorist attack "was a wake-up call for how to protect venues."(Photo: FLORIDA TODAY FILE PHOTO)

The 9/11 terrorist attack "was a wake-up call for how to protect venues," said Brevard County Sheriff Wayne Ivey, whose staff oversees law enforcement throughout the Space Coast as well as at Port Canaveral, the nation's second-busiest cruise port in terms of passenger counts.

But many security experts also noticed that some of those extra measures have fallen off somewhat in various parts of the country, as the terrorist attacks of 9/11 moved further into the past. That now is likely to change in the wake of the Las Vegas tragedy.

Ivey said that after a mass shooting — like the one at the Route 91 Harvest Festival in Las Vegas that killed 59 people and injured more than 525 — Monday morning quarterbacking to see how things could have been done differently is almost inevitable.

"The hotel industry, like every one of us, is going to look back and see if anything could have been done differently," Ivey said. But "when someone has such evil in their heart," like the Las Vegas shooter did, it's difficult to find a way to stop something like this.

'Ramping up security'

Runaway Country Executive Producer Gary McCann said he has increased security procedures over the years at his outdoor country music festival, which was held at Wickham Park in Melbourne for five years before moving to Osceola Heritage Park in Kissimmee in 2016.

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Runaway Country Executive Producer Gary McCann says he has increased security procedures over the years at his country music festival,(Photo: MALCOLM DENEMARK/FLORIDA TODAY FILE PHOTO)

"We've been ramping up security more and more," said McCann, whose company is based in Melbourne. "It is something we review each year."

That included metal detectors, hand scanners and visual bag checks of patrons, plus plainclothes security and video surveillance, for Runaway County, with typically attracts 12,000 to 15,000 concertgoers a day for its three-day run.

But McCann said it would be difficult for the promoter of the Las Vegas festival to protect concertgoers from a shooter who set up in a hotel across the street.

"This type of evil, I don't think there's a way to stop it all."

"This type of evil, I don't think there's a way to stop it all," McCann said, while adding that "every venue around the world" probably is reviewing its security plans following the Las Vegas shootings.

Melbourne attorney Jerry Trachtman, who is a founding member and a publisher of Living Safer, a monthly magazine that focuses on a range of safety issues, said he expects hotel officials are discussing how to increase security.

At some companies, that may include considering luggage security checks when people check in, something which is being done in Israel.

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A motion graphic explaining how the events unfolded when Stephen Paddock opened fire from his hotel room on concert goers at the Route 91 Harvest music festival near the Mandalay Bay resort and casino on the Las Vegas Strip.

"It wouldn't surprise me, but I don't think the hotels want to be seen as intrusive, and lose business," Trachtman said.

There might be some alternatives, though.

For example, Orlando-based Westgate Resorts announced earlier this year that it was introducing a new concealed weapons detection system at its Westgate Las Vegas Resort & Casino, a nearly 3,000-room hotel with a casino and convention center that's located just off the Las Vegas Strip.

The developer of the system, Patriot One Technologies, describes the system as "an effective tool to combat active-shooter threats before they occur. Designed for cost-effective deployment in weapon-restricted buildings and facilities, the innovative software solution and related hardware can be installed in hallways and doorways to covertly identify weapons and to alert security of an active threat entering the premises."

Mark Waltrip, chief operating officer for Westgate Resorts, said his company also hopes to deploy such systems at other locations across the country.

Westgate operates about 9,000 units in Florida, most of them condo-style timeshares. Most are concentrated in the Orlando area, with some in other major tourism centers, including Cocoa Beach, Daytona Beach and Miami.

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Austin Meyer was one of the people killed in Las Vegas after a gunman opened fire on Sunday, Oct. 1, 2017, at a country music festival. Meyer celebrated his 24 birthday in Las Vegas at the country music festival. Courtesy Family Photo

In this June 6, 2015 photo, U.S. Army National Guard Sgt. 1st Class Charleston Hartfield of the 100th Quartermaster Company poses for a photo at Rainbow Falls near Hilo, Hawaii. Hartfield was one of the people killed in Las Vegas after a gunman opened fire on Oct. 1, 2017, at a country music festival. Sgt. Walter Lowell, U.S. Army National Guard via AP

Bailey Schweitzer is seen in her high school senior portrait. Schweitzer was one of the people killed in Las Vegas after a gunman opened fire on Oct. 1, 2017, at a country music festival. Makenzie Hollar, AP

This Sunday, Oct. 1, 2017, photo provided by Tom Day Sr., shows his son Tom Day Jr, with Day Jr.'s family, at the Route 91 Harvest Festival in Las Vegas. Day Jr., was one of the people killed in Las Vegas after a gunman opened fire on Sunday, Oct. 1, 2017, at the music festival. AP

In a statement following the Las Vegas massacre, the American Hotel & Lodging Association couldn't say how hotels might change security because of the shooting, but understood the public's need for assurances on safety.

“As a business that is centered on serving the public, no issue is more important than safety and security,” American Hotel & Lodging Association President and Chief Executive Officer Katherine Luga said. “Hotels have safety and security procedures in place that are regularly reviewed, tested and updated, as are their emergency response procedures. As we better understand the facts in the coming days, we will continue to work with law enforcement to evaluate these measures.”

Seeking federal funding

U.S. Reps. Val Demings, Stephanie Murphy and Darren Soto, who represent the Orlando area, are seeking legislation to include federal counterterrorism funding for Orlando.

They also have called on the Federal Emergency Management Agency to fix what they say is a flawed formula for calculating terrorism risk that was responsible for Orlando being excluded from Department of Homeland Security Urban Area Security Initiative program eligibility in the last few years.

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A family grieves during a candlelight vigil for Charleston Hartfield at Police Memorial Park. Hartfield, an off-duty Las Vegas police officer, was killed Sunday during the mass shooting at a music festival across from the Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino. Robert Hanashiro, USA TODAY

Sherri Camperchioli and Jordan Cassel, volunteers from Las Vegas, staple photos of the mass shooting victims on crosses artist Greg Zanis of Aurora, Ill., constructed. He drove across the country to install them on Las Vegas Boulevard to honor the people killed in the mass shooting. Zanis said he has created crosses for many national tragedies. Tom Tingle, USA TODAY Network

Jean Green Dunbar of Las Vegas plants shrubs at the Las Vegas Community Healing Garden in the Arts District of Las Vegas Oct. 5. The garden is intended to help the city heal from the massacre that happened Sunday. Tom Tingle, The Arizona Republic via the USA TODAY Network

Jeanne Belez of Marysville, Ore. places a bouquet of flowers at a memorial on a median on Las Vegas Blvd. near the Mandalay Bay Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas on Oct. 4, 2017. Robert Hanashiro, USA TODAY

Arizona Diamondbacks remember their former employee Christiana Duarte, who was killed this week in the Las Vegas shooting during pregame ceremonies of the National League Wild Card game on Oct. 4, 2017 in Phoenix, Ariz. Rob Schumacher, The Arizona Republic, via USA TODAY NETWORK

Crystal Fernandez, left, and Carmen Arias share a moment at a memorial that sprung up on a median on Las Vegas Blvd. near the Mandalay Bay Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas on Oct. 4, 2017. Robert Hanashiro, USA TODAY

Linda Proctor hugs Dr. Robert T. Baggott as her husband, Donnie Proctor, waits to the right during a memorial at Community Church of Vero Beach, Fla. on Oct. 4, 2017, for those who died in the mass shooting in Las Vegas. Jeremiah Wilson, TCPalm, via USA TODAY NETWORK

President Donald J. Trump and First Lady Melania arrive at McCarran International Airport in Las Vegas. . President Trump is planning on meeting victims of Sunday's mass shooting. Robert Hanashiro, USA TODAY

With the lights of the Las Vegas Strip as a backdrop, people gathered on a vacant lot on Las Vegas Blvd. for a candlelight vigil in the memory of the victims of the Mandalay Bay mass shooting, Oct. 2, 2017. Robert Hanashiro, USA TODAY

Michael Kordich, 34, a firefighter with the San Bernardino County Fire Dept., performed CPR on a fellow concert goer who had been shot, before Kordich himself was shot in the arm during the Las Vegas massacre. He talks about the life-changing events from his hospital bed at Sunrise Hospital and Medical Center, Oct. 3, 2017. Tom Tingle, The Arizona Republic via the USA TODAY Network

Sara Rivero, on right, with her mom Laura Rodriguez, in center and Gisell Rivera, her step mother, burn a candle at the memorial site on Las Vegas Blvd, for friends who died at the concert. Nick Oza, The Arizona Republic via the USA TODAY Network

Members of the Las Vegas community pray during an emotional vigil for the victims of the Las Vegas shooting at Mountain Crest Park, Oct. 3, 2017. Jay Calderon, The Desert Sun Via the USA TODAY Nertwork

Matthew Edwards puts a teddy bear and flowers at the memorial site. When asked about his feelings he said "I cannot understand what has happened here... what would drive a man to do what he did" Nick Oza, The Arizona Republic via the USA TODAY Network

With the lights of the Las Vegas Strip as a backdrop, people gathered on a vacant lot on Las Vegas Blvd. for a candlelight vigil in the memory of the victims of the Mandalay Bay mass shooting, Oct. 2, 2017. Robert Hanashiro, USA TODAY

People gather at Trocadero plaza as the lights of the Eiffel tower are turned off, in Paris on Oct. 2, 2017. Paris mayor Anne Hidalgo said the Eiffel tower will turn off its lights to pay tribute to Las Vegas and Marseille victims. Kamil Zihnioglu, AP

The American flag is at half-staff at the White House in Washington on Oct. 2, 2017. President Donald Trump ordered that flags be lowered at all government buildings to honor the victims of the mass shooting in Las Vegas. Pablo Martinez Monsivais, AP

People walks past flowers left on a pedestrian bridge overlooking Las Vegas Blvd. in Las Vegas on Oct. 2, 2017, two blocks from the Mandalay Bay Hotel Casino where a gunman killed dozens and injured hundreds of people attending a concert. Robert Hanashiro, USA TODAY

Broken windows are seen on the 32nd floor of the Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino after a lone gunman opened fired on the Route 91 Harvest country music festival on Oct. 2, 2017, in Las Vegas. David Becker, Getty Images

An injured person is tended to in the intersection of Tropicana Ave. and Las Vegas Boulevard after a mass shooting at a country music festival nearby on October 2, 2017 in Las Vegas. Ethan Miller, Getty Images

A woman sits on a curb at the scene of a shooting outside of a music festival along the Las Vegas Strip, Monday, Oct. 2, 2017, in Las Vegas. Multiple victims were being transported to hospitals. John Locher, AP

People are searched by Las Vegas police at the Tropicana Las Vegas during an active shooter situation on the Las Vegas Strip. Multiple victims were being transported to hospitals after a shooting late Sunday at a music festival on the Las Vegas Strip. Chase Stevens, Las Vegas Review-Journal via AP

A Las Vegas Metropolitan Police officer stands in the intersection of Las Vegas Boulevard and Tropicana Ave. after a mass shooting at a country music festival nearby on October 2, 2017 in Las Vegas. Ethan Miller, Getty Images

People take cover at the Route 91 Harvest country music festival after apparent gun fire was heard on October 1, 2017 in Las Vegas, Nevada. There are reports of an active shooter around the Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino. David Becker, Getty Images

“The safety of our communities must be a top priority," Murphy said in a statement announcing their proposal. "Additional funding for the UASI program will help ensure that cities like Orlando are prepared to handle potential terrorist attacks. As a global tourist destination, Orlando faces unique security challenges. An increase in UASI funding will give law enforcement and first responders the training and tools they need to keep our families safe.”

In the statement, Soto said Orlando "is a thriving, global city, and we must continue to do all we can to keep Floridians and our visitors safe and secure. We have seen too many recent international and national tragedies, including in our beloved Orlando. In this era of growing terror threats, it is vital we are proactive with our preparedness and prevention plans.”

Orlando received funding through the Urban Area Security Initiative in 2010, 2011, 2012, and 2014, but has not qualified for the funding since.

While all this is going on in government and the private sector, individuals who attend concerts or football games — or even go to the movies — are becoming more conscious of the "what-ifs." They are more likely to be planning out their exit strategy in case someone starts shooting.

"It's just a commentary on the way things are right now," Trachtman said. "It's terrible that we have to live in a world that we have to do this. But the public needs to be more aware. As Bob Dylan once said: 'The times, they are a-changin.' "